Method of and apparatus for use in making shoes



2 Sheet-s-Sheet 1 A. W. DONOVAN Filed March 5,. 1958 METHOD 0F AND APPARATUS FPR USE IN MAKING ,SHOES KST March 26, 1940.

March 26, 1940. A. w. DONOVAN METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR USE IN MAKING SHOES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 5. 1938 Patented Mar. 26, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENTy OFFICE METHOD F AND APPARATUS FOR USE IN MARIN SHOES 2 Claims.

'I'his invention relates to the manufacture of footwear and is more particularly concerned with an improved method of and apparatus useful in applying and/or contouring the outer soles of 5 shoes or the like, the present invention constituting an improvement upon that disclosed in my copending applicationfor Letters Patent Serial No. 183,937, filed January 8, 1938.

In the application just referred to there is disclosed a method of laying and/or contouring outer soles, preferably performed by the use of a substantially rigid contouring form of a length and width somewhat exceeding the length and l width respectively of the sole to be treated and having a sole-contacting surface which is substantially a replica of the desired contour of the sole after completion. 'I'he method there disclosed and the suggested apparatus are highly eective for vthe intended purpose and represent a very distinct forward step in the art of shoe making. As disclosed in the aforesaid application, the sole is subjected to the contouring process throughout its entire length, and for shoes of many kinds this procedure seems to be all that could be desired, but in making other classes of shoe, for example womens shoes of the high-heeled type, it is not necessary to contour anything; but the forepart'of the outer sole, since thel trade-does not demand that the'shank and heel portions'be so-accurately finished as the forepart. Furthermore, yielding pressure such4 as that applied, for example. by the pressure bag of a sole-cementing machine, is very effective for producing-the close vedge at the shank which is requisite in :some kindsl of shoe, andin fact accomplishes the desired result more simply than by the use of rigid contouring forms'designed to shape the sole of a shoe having anv angular or high arched shank-portion.

40 The principal object of the present invention is to provide a method of and apparatus useful in laying and/or contouring outer soles whereby the forepart at least of the sole will be as accurately contoured as by the method and apparatus of the aforesaid application, while at the shank portion the laying and/or shaping of the sole is accomplished by'means of a yieldable fluid pressure inflated bag or its equivalent capable of conforming the shank of the sole, the

shank of the last and the underlying shoe bottom structure.

A further object of the invention is to provide for accurate contouring of the forward part of the outer sole. as by the use of a rigid contouring form and shaping the shank portion by other means, while at the same time avoiding any indentation of or other injury to the sole at the region at which one mode of procedure ends and the other commences.

As described in the aforesaid application, it is b sometimes desirable to contour the heel seat portion of the outer sole, for example, to conform its outer surface to the shape of a heel which is later to be attached, or to impart roughness to the vsole surface as an anchorage for heel atl0 taching cement; and a further object of the present invention is to provide for accurate contouring of both the forepart and heel portions of the outer sola-as -by means of rigid contouring members; while concomitantly shaping the shank l5 portion of the sole by the use of yieldable means.

; Other objects-and advantages of the present invention will be made manifest in the following more detailed description and by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein 20 Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation, partly in vertical section, illustrating a simple form of apparatus useful in the practice of the improved method in accordance with the present invention and showing a shoe in process of having the 25 forepart of its outer sole accurately contoured by means of a rigid contouring form while the shank portion is being shaped by yielding means;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary diagrammatic vertical section, to larger scale, on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, 30 showing how the shank portion of the outer sole is shaped; v

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic bottom view of an outer sole showing the relative positions of a sole and a contouring form, in accordance with the 35 present invention; l v

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the contouring form of Fig. 3, showing that side ofthe form which engages the sole;

Fig. 5 is a section substantially on the line 5-5 o of Fig. 4; v

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section on'the line 6-8 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showing the contouring form as comprising a exible ex- 45 tension designed to prevent indentation ofthe outer sole by the rear edge of the form;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of a modified contouring 50 form having a rigid forward portion and yieldable shank and heel portions;

- Fig. 10 is a section on the line III-I0 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 -isa plan view illustrating a further modification wherein the contouring form com- 55' Y contouring form I1 is a simple, substantially rigid prises substantially rigid forepart and heel portions flexibly united but separated to permit shaping of the shank portion ofthe shoe by .fluid pressure; and

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary section on the line I2--I2 of Fig. 11.

For convenience in description the invention is here illustrated by reference to a press of the general kind commonly used in permanently securing an outer sole by means of adhesive to the bottom of a lasted shoe, for example as practiced in the manufacture of compo shoes. However, it is to be understood that the press here illustrated is by way of example only nd that the successful practice of the present invention is not dependent upon the precise details of the press which may be used.

Referring to the drawings, and in particular to Figs. 1 and 2, the press I comprises' a frame or base 2 which may be an independent unit, designed to accommodate a single shoe and to keep the shoe parts under pressure for the desired period of time, or it may, if preferred, form an element of a sole-attaching machine comprising a plurality of similar press units. Since the particular mode of supporting the press frame constitutes no essential part of this invention, it is not herein illustrated and needs no further description. As shown, the press frame comprises the horizontal web 3 which forms a support for a /flexible pressure-applying bag 4, usually of leather and which encloses an impervious bag of rubber or the like having a nipple I by means of which pressure iiuid may be introduced.

As shown, the frame of the press also comprises rigid uprights or posts 1 and I, the post 1 providing a pivotal support for a swinging jack arm 9 whose free end may be locked to the top of the post 8 by means of a yoke III. The jack arm I is provided with the jack pin I I designed to enter the spindle socket in the last I2, and is also furnished with a pivoted bracket I3 having a pad I4 which is designed to rest upon the forepart of the upper I5 of a lasted shoe having an outer sole I6. Ordinarily, in securing the outer sole to the bottom of the lasted shoe in accordance with the compo process, the entire sole I6 would rest directly upon the upper exposed surface of the bag 4. However, in accordance with the present method, whether the press be used for permanently attaching a compo sole; forvlaying a welt sole; or for imparting the final contour to a sole of any type, there is interposed between the forepart of the sole I8 andthe bag 4 a contouring form, for instance the form I1 (Figs. 3 to 6), which constitutes an essentialfeature of the present invention. As illustrated in Figs. 1 to 8, the

plate-like member of a length sufficient to extend from the toe T (Fig. 3) of the sole I6 to the forp ward end of the shank portion S of the sole. The formisalso ofsuch dimensionsastopermititto overlap the edges of the forepart of the sole at the sides and forward end. The rear edge of this contouring form I1 may be of any desired conflguration,for example it may extend straight across from one curved edge to the other of the form, or it may, as here illustrated, form a broken line comprising the parts I9 and I9* more or less following the contour of the forward end of the shank portion of the shoe sole. In this connection it may be noted that it is quite common in certain types of shoe, for example shoes of the so-called arch-supporting'type. to form the shank portion with a distinct longitudinal ridge and to cause the shank to join the forepart or ball portion of the sole along distinct lines which intersect at this ridgeat an angle similar to that made by the lines Il and IQ, as indicated in Fig. 3. However, as noted, the rear edge of the contour form may have any desired configuration in accordance with the type of shoe being made.

While as here illustrated the contouring 'form l is a simple plate-like element of unitary construction, it is contemplated that this form may be of built-up construction comprising two or more layers of the same or different materials, like the form more fully described in the copending application above referred to. In any event the lateral margins of the form are preferably smoothly curved, as indicated at I8 (Fig. 5) to provide a rim-like iinish.for' the edge of the form and to give the margin of the sole the desired convexity. That surface III of the form which is designed to contact the shoe sole is preferably smooth and desirably polished. This solecontacting surface is given a contour which is as nearly as practical the exact complement of the contour of the forepart of a flnished'outer sole having a theoretically perfect conguration relative to the particular last on which the shoe was lasted. The member I1 is preferably of a mouldable or ductile material which is normally substantially rigid and which normally has a hard surface but which may be obtained in a mouldable or plastic condition or reduced to such conditionby proper treatment. 'I'hus for example, the member I1 may be a metal which may be moulded while fluid; a material such, for example, as Celluloid which may be made plastic by suitable treatment with a solvent or by the use of heat and moisture; it may-be a material such as a ductile metal which may be shaped in a die press or the like, or it may be one of the synthetic resins capable of being moulded but which, after moulding lbecomes hard and irreversible in phase.l

Whatever the material of the member I1 its sole-contacting surface y2l is designed, as above stated, to be as nearly as possible the exact complement of the surface of the forepart of the outer sole of a theoretically perfect shoe made upon a given last. One suggested mode of obtaining such a contour would be to make a shoe upon the selected last in accordance with usual methods, and following the best shoe-making practice, and then to finish theexposed surface of the forepart of the outer sole with the most meticulous care, thereby to obtain a shoe having a sole whose forepart is as nearly perfect in contour and ilnish as it is practically possible to obtain. 'I'his finished surface of the forepart of the sole is then used, in accordance with any desired and practical mode of procedure, as a primary matrix for moulding the surface III of the member I1.

Having prepared the contouring form I1, and that it is to be employed for imparting the -ilnal finished contour to the forepart of an outer sole already attached in one way or another to the bottom of a lasted shoe, it is prevtion by means of the parts 9, I9, II, I9 and I4. and pressure iiuid is admitted through the nipple 6 into the bag 5, thereby applying very substantial pressure against the under surface'of the form I1, thus forcing the latter up against the forepart of the outer sole. At the same time the pressure-applying bag, where it engages the shank portion of the sole, iscaused to bulge upwardly as indicated at B (Fig. 2) about the lateral edges of the sole IB, thereby causing the edges 2| of the sole I6 to curl upwardly into close contact with the lasted upper at the shank portion of the shoe. 'Ihe heel portion of the sole is also at the same time forced firmly against the heel portion of the lasted shoe bottom. By reason of the application of pressure by means of a, iiuid, the pressure is exerted substantially uniformly upward at all points of the rigid form I1, the force being directed substantially normally to the exposed surface of the shoe sole at the forepart of the latter. Since the sole is in temper and the fluid pressure is of substantial amount, for instance from 65 to 90 pounds per square inch, the material of the forepart is moulded to substantially the exact surface configuration of the part Il, while at the same time at the shank portion and the heel the sole is directly pressed against the shoe bottom by means of the bag, and caused to conform very closely to the shape of the underlying parts of the shoe bottom structure and last. During the moulding or squeezing operation exerted by the form II, the moisture in the tempered sole is caused to ow outwardly toward the margins of the sole which places these margins in the best condition for such subsequent operations as rough rounding or stitching. If the shoe be left in the press for a suicient period of time, for example from six to ten minutes, it is found that when the shoe is ultimately removed from the press the forepart of the sole will have taken a substantially permanent set with its outer surface of a contour which is substantially the exact complement of the surface 20 of the form I l, while at the same time the shank portion will have been closely conformed to the shape of the shank portion of the shoe bottom. The result is that the contour of the forepart of the sole very nearly approaches the theoretically perfect finished contour, and since each successive shoe of alot which is being made will be caused to engage the same or a like contouring form, it is obvious that all of the resulting shoes will have the forepart of their soles of substantially the same exact contour, something which has not been capable of performance by any ordinary commercial mode of making and nishing shoes.

As above noted, shoe-making practice in general only requires this excessive exactness of sur-l face finish at the forepart of the outer sole, the shank portion usually having a pronounced curvature or angularity or surface configuration, and in accordance with usual practice no attempt has been made to reduce this surface to an exact contour or finish. Thus since no such exactness of finish is required at this part of the sole, but since on the other hand it is quite often requisite that at this portion the edges of the sole fit very close against the upper, it is regarded as desirable, in accordance with the present invention, to confine the contouring action to the forepart, and to exert the desired pressure at the shank portion by a exible element such as the pressure bag which, without expectation of producing exactitude of contour, furnishes the necessary pressure to produce a snug fit of theouter sole at the shank portion and a close edge at this part of the shoe.

As pointed out in the aforesaid application, this mode of contouring the-forepart of the outer sole has no tendency to flow the sole material in its own plane such as might distort sewing stitches or open the grain. but on the other hand tends to compact the sole and to produce a hard and rm surface well adapted to receive such finishing operations as may be required.

CTI

To prevent indentation of the surface of the A sole at the location of the rear edge I9, I9* of the contouring form, such edge is preferably rounded smoothly, as indicated at I9b (Fig. 6). However, in order even better to distribute the pressure at this point, the form may be provided at its rear edge with a flexible extension. 'I'hus as shown in Figs. 'I and 8, the form I'I, having the sole-contacting surface 2li and the rear edge I9, I9, is furnished with the flexible extension member 22, the free margin 29 of which is preferably curved away from the surface of the sole. This extension member 22 is set into the material of the form proper so that its sole-contacting surface forms an unbroken continuation of the surface 20. When this form I1* is pressed forcibly against the outer sole, the extension 22 yields resiliently and thus distributes the pressure at the rear edge of the form so that there is no danger of indenting the sole at the rear terminus of the form.

A further arrangement is illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10 in which the form comprises-the rigid forward part I1b having the sole-contacting surface 20 and the rear edge I9, I9, but in this instance the flexible extension 22 consists of a length of exible material, for example rubber, preferably of substantially the same thickness as the rigid body portion I'Ib of the contouring form and which extends to the rear end of the sole. The sole-engaging surface 24 of this extension forms a smooth continuation of the sole-contacting surface 20. While this form permits the production of a close edge in the shank portion, since the member 22* is flexible and readily conformable to the narrow shank, it supports the entire sole of the shoe at substantially the same distance from the upper surface of the pressureapplying bag; avoids any break whatever between the forepart and the shank; and serves to distribute the pressure uniformly throughout the entire length of the shoe bottom.

In the aforementioned application mention is made of the fact that certain advantages are obtained by treating the heel seat portion of the sole by the use of a contouring form of plate. In Figs. 11 and 12 an arrangement is disclosed wherein the rigid contouring plate may be applied both to the forepart and to the heel seat portion of the sole, while at the same time leaving the shank portion free for direct shaping by the use of the pressure bag. Thus in these tlgures the rigid forepart contouring form I'Ix, similar inail substantial respects, if desired, to the form I1 above described, and having the rear edge I9, is associated with a heel-contouring form H having the forward edge 25 by means of a bridge device 29. This bridge device may preferably be made of some resilient material such as spring steel and comprises the transverse forward portion 21 and the transverse rear portion 29. These transverse portions are designed to be connected to the contouring forms I1.I and H permitted some freedom of movement relatively to the heel-contouring form H by reason of the' resiliency ofthe bridge piece, which is of considerable importance when treating soles in which the forepart and the heel portion do not lie in the same plane. Moreover, as suggested in the\ aforementioned application, the heel-contouring plate may, -if desired, be` provided with a soleroughening surface, or on the other hand it may be smooth, or plates of different degrees of concavity may be provided, and the arrangement whereby the forepart form and the heel part form -may readily be separated allows the substicare of various conditions.

While certain desirable embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated by way of example, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to the precise details herein disclosed but is to be regarded as broadly inclusive of all equivalent constructions, and in so far as the method is concerned it is to be understood that the several steps enumerated may be performed in'any desired or convenient order and that equivalent method steps may be substituted for those specifically named, all within the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A ccntouring form for use in moulding the exposed surface of the outer sole of a lasted shoe, said form being of a lensth such as to reach but part'way from the toe of the sole toward the heel end of the sole. and a thin resilient extension projecting from the rear' edge of the form, the free margin of said extension being smoothly curved away from the sole. the extension being operative to prevent indentation of the sole by the rear edge of the form when the form is forcibly pressed against the sole, the formvproper having a substantially rigid sole-contacting surface which is the exact complement of the desired tlnished configuration of the exposed surface of that portion of the ,sole member with which it contacts.

2. That method of making shoes which comprises as steps laying an outer sole against the bottom of a lasted shoe previously made ready for reception of the outer sole, providing a contouring form of such rigidity as to preserve its initial conguration regardless of the shape of the sole against which it is pressed, said-form having a glossy surface which is substantially the exact complement of the desired surface contour of that portion only of the outer sole which extends from the toe to the forward end of the shank, disposing said glossy surface against the exposed face of the forepart portion of the outer sole,

providing a flexible pressure-applying bag, vdisposing said bag against the shank portion of the sole, and concomitantly supplying pressure fluid to the bag and applying force to the form, thereby accurately to contour the forepart of the sole and closely to conform the shank portion of the sole tothe shank portion of the bottom of the lasted shoe.

. ALFRED W. DONOVAN. 

